Take Me In To The Ballgame

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1987 baseball film "Long Gone." They introduce the film (1:10), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (7:10). Amount of Baseball (11:43) praises the substance and variety of the baseball scenes, with their good emphasis on defense and attention to detail. Baseball Accuracy (21:13) bemoans the lack of acknowledgement for Cecil Cantrell as the Shohei Ohtani player manager of the Alabama-Florida league. Other things about the Class D Alabama-Florida league are correct, except the existence of the Dothan Cardinals in 1957, and the Browns spring training in 1946. Do pitchers ever become catchers? A historic dive into Smoky Joe Wood, Bob Feller, and the possibility of Stud Cantrell and Stan Musial coming up together. There are both mathematical and factual problems with the number of games that the Class D League played, and Brown's RBI total (w/r/t Hack Wilson record). Joe Lewis Brown resonances with Joe Lewis, Jackie Robinson, and Jack Johnson. This movie has appropriate disdain for the intentional walk, but falls victim to a common baseball film error. A rare corresponding roster move doesn't quite pan out. Storytelling (57:55) comments on the skillful exposition and braiding of human and baseball storytelling, along with growth for the major characters, and the classical comedy double wedding ending. Did the Cardinals sign off on this? Delicacy of dealing with racial issues in a comedy. What do they have on Stud? Why wreck the car? Plus other unanswered questions. The Score Tool (1:26:36) suffers from the problem of an 80s score in a movie about the 50s. Eric dives in on Hank Williams' "Long Gone," and the hymns in the film. Acting (1:35:07) discusses the performances of Virginia Madsen, William Petersen, Larry Riley, Dermot Mulroney, Henry Gibson, Teller, Robert Easton, Edward Blatchford, and Ronn Allen. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:45:53) assesses the superb Joe Lewis Brown, played by Larry Riley. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:47:14) is non-zero. Lack of Misogyny (1:48:25) considers the misogyny displayed in the actions and words of Stud Cantrell, and, to a lesser extent, Jamie, as balanced with their growth. Some examination of the film's attitude towards Dixie, and her Boxxstory/backstory.  No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:59:04), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:04:00), Favorite Moment (2:05:41) Least Favorite Moment (2:07:14), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:10:08), Dreamiest Player (2:11:39), Favorite Performance (2:12:32), and Next Time (2:14:50).         Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1958 baseball movie musical, "Damn Yankees." They introduce the film (1:10), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (6:57). Quick promos for "Cryptid" and the podcast "Sometimes it Rains" (13:47). Amount of Baseball (16:09) is helped by early baseball and a good montage, but there's not a ton here. Baseball Accuracy (23:15) kicks off with some debate on the central premise and impact on score, umpire razzing, and Joe's inconsistent baseball opinions. Does Shoeless Joe Jackson exist in the world of this film? Some Kansas City baseball timeline problems, the six months out of every year fallacy, and goulash vs. Willie Mays. They dive in on Carlos Paula, Angel Scull, Joe Black,the integration of the Washington Senators, and a brief racial history anecdote with the Twins. A Washington Senators overview and look at pennant-less droughts throughout baseball history. How often do you need to hit a homer to save a losing ball club, w/r/t the 1957 Senators pitching rotation. Accuracy in the song "Heart," plus newspaper accuracy. Storytelling (1:01:21) dives in on the confusing terms of the deal with the devil, and who Joe Hardy actually is. "Who's Got the Pain?" These scouts, I guess. They also discuss Joe Hardy's HOF case, games missed in the storytelling, problems with singing a song and writing a letter simultaneously, and songs removed and added from the Broadway version. How old is Lola? How superb is Gwen Verdon in "Whatever Lola Wants"? They wrap up with "Two Lost Souls," Sister Miller's name, the costume design, Mr. Applegate's particular scope of power, and the flatness of the cinematography. The Score Tool (1:42:20) considers the tunes and scoring of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Acting (1:44:00) discusses chiefly the performances of Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston and Jean Stapleton, with some discussion of the ensemble and the impact of the cast carrying over from the Broadway run. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:50:19) assesses the character of Smokey, played by Nathaniel Frey. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:53:42) sees a short debate on its existence. Lack of Misogyny (1:55:34) considers wives singing about their husbands' obsessions with baseball as they wait around to be noticed, undermining Sister Miller's baseball fandom, and 1001 issues with "Goodbye Old Girl" and "Empty Chair." There are Misogyny issues with Gloria and Applegate, too. Marie Antoinette injustice. They wrap up with the missing songs' impact on this tool, and Joe and Meg's reunion.  No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:17:20), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:22:00), Favorite Moment (2:24:26) Least Favorite Moment (2:26:20), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:28:22), Dreamiest Player (2:30:27), Favorite Performance (2:31:10), and Next Time (2:33:06). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2002 family film, "Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch," and all of its ramifications, grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. This is Ellen's favorite episode that Ellen + Eric ever did. They introduce the film (1:05), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. If you're just joining, a review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (7:09). Then, they grade "Air Bud" on Amount of Baseball (16:25), Baseball Accuracy (24:19), Storytelling (55:22), Score (1:43:16); Acting (1:49:28); Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:54:28), Delightfulness of Announcer (1:56:29), and Lack of Misogyny (2:02:56). No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:12:03), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:15:05), Favorite Moment (2:15:45), Least Favorite Moment (2:18:57),  Scene You’d Like To See (2:20:12), Dreamiest Player (2:24:03), Favorite Performance (2:25:41) and Next Time (2:28:32).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Ben Lindbergh discuss "Charlie Brown's All Stars," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. Ellen welcomes Ben, who discusses his lifelong love of "Peanuts" and getting to meet creator Charles M. Schulz! They introduce and summarize the cartoon (8:31) and review the 20-80 scouting scale (11:45) before hearing about Ben's fictional scouting director and real-life experience with the Sonoma Stompers (12:51). With Amount of Baseball (15:35), Ben favorably considers that there is more baseball in this 25 minute cartoon than hockey in six episodes of "Heated Rivalry," and discusses the "Effectively Wild" tradition of dubbing films "baseball movies." Ellen finds this cartoon does the little things right. In Baseball Accuracy (19:31), they discuss the lack of an opposing team and float competing theories, whether it is magical realism charged by Charlie Brown's emotional life, or perhaps baseball ghosts. They also discuss the very long hang time for the ball in the initial sequence, and the implications for Charlie Brown's range. Ellen dives deep into the stats Linus provides, considering them on an imagined per-game basis. They discuss clutch-ness and the power of belief at various levels. In Storytelling (38:20), they discuss various non sequiturs, editing oddities, and the interlude to Snoopy's imaginative plane. They also examine the depiction of various different kinds of baseball fans, and the lack of hustle on Charlie Brown's team, and some inconsistencies in character point of view. An intermission with Ben Lindbergh features his answers to the Nine Things (56:20) , including his choice three baseball players and three baseball moments--no spoilers! Our intrepid scouts return with the Score Tool (1:28:20), enjoying the music provided by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet. In Acting (1:31:40), they discuss the quality of the distinctive charm of the performances, which as a whole are truly creative of a style rather than interpretive of life. Particular shout-out to Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown, Christopher Shea's liquid l's, Sally Dryer's pronunciation of "uniform," and Director Bill Melendez as decades of Snoopy and Woodstock. In the Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:38:22) the scouts parse a fondness for Schroeder with his excellence as a lovable team leader or helpfulness to his pitcher. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:43:21) offers no announcer, but some discussion of the possible existence of an official scorer. Lack of Misogyny (1:44:26) balances Charlie Brown standing up to a misogynist league policy with the blame for the all-gender ridicule of Charlie Brown landing solely at the girls' feet. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:50:49), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:56:01), Favorite Moment (1:58:11), Least Favorite Moment (2:00:31), Scene That We'd Like to See (2:05:34), and Dreamiest Player and Favorite Performance (2:12:06). Find Ben on Effectively Wild, Hang Up and Listen, Button Mash, and the new Plot Hole or Not Hole on YouTube. The (evergreen) Ella Black episodes of Effectively Wild are 2309-2311. Find Ellen on @ellenadair.bsky.social and @ellenadairg on IG. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1985 film, “The Slugger’s Wife.,” written by Neil Simon and directed by Hal Ashby. It’s a doozy of an episode that once again sends our hosts to their mental and emotional limits. The magical timestamps are as follows: 1:24 – Intro; 6:41 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 14:00 – Amount of Baseball; 20:10 – Baseball Accuracy; 47:31 – Storytelling; 1:26:58 – Score; 1:33:22 – Acting; 1:38:19 – Delightfulness of Catcher Character; 1:39:11 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:40:18 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:50:06 – Yes/No; 1:52:36 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:53:10 – Favorite Moment; 1:54:18 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:55:32 – Scene You’d Like to See; 1:57:53 – Dreamiest; 1:58:21 – Favorite Performance; 2:01:06 – Next Time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1992 film "Mr. Baseball." They introduce the film (1:07), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (5:31). Amount of Baseball (14:02) has a good variety, and they contrast the unnecessary Yankee stadium with the real Japanese baseball stadiums, plus the Frank Thomas appearance and a player comp.  Baseball Accuracy (19:52) is strong, although the MLB and NPB do not trade, and you shouldn't bring your top hand over. A dive into the shuuto pitch (Yu Darvish, Aaron Nola, Shohei Ohtani) and Ricky Davis's debut (Frank Thomas, JP Arencibia). There are timeline issues with MLB/NPB seasons and the Dodgers series, there are problems with Doc the Agent, the nightmare as a hitter's nightmare, and some poor scouting practices. But there are fun references to the hotfoot tradition (Roger McDowell?) and John Kruk. A brief history of the Chunichi Dragons franchise and their most famous player Michio Nishizawa, plus Larry Doby, Don Newcombe and Matt Stairs. NPB home run records include discussion of Sadaharu Oh, Randy Bass, Tuffy Rhodes, Alex Cabrera and Wladimir Balentien. Cultural differences between Japanese baseball and American baseball, including facial hair (Bob Horner, Eric Thames), the "Gaijin strikezone," extra innings, and the cap-tipping tradition (Osamu Higashio, Dick Davis). Also the Brett Myers/Kyle Kendrick prank, Don Mattingly comparisons, and Tom Selleck's athleticism.  Storytelling (50:30) discusses how a formula is good for reversals but bad for long scenes, the bunting trope in baseball movies, the film's cultural in/sensitivities, Cleveland/Nagoya comparisons, the bath scene, and problems with the Lame Romantic Subplot.  The Score Tool (1:15:37) discusses this 1992 timepiece from Jerry Goldsmith, which slightly divides our scouts. Acting (1:19:18) considers the performances of Tom Selleck, Ken Takakura, Toshi Shioya, Aya Takanashi, and the baseball team ensemble. Neither Delightfulness of Catcher (1:26:08) or Delightfulness of Announcer (1:27:18) offer much. In Lack of Misogyny (1:27:56), they consider the believability of the Lame Romantic Subplot, Hiroko's own issues, and the repairing of the father/daughter relationship. But why does Hiroko like Jack? No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:40:23), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:44:12), Favorite Moment (1:45:26) Least Favorite Moment (1:47:44), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:49:42), Dreamiest Player (1:51:03), Favorite Performance (1:51:27), and Next Time (1:53:15).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2001 film "61*." They introduce the film (1:10), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (5:51). In Amount of Baseball (14:41), they discuss the use of actual Mark McGwire footage, the strength of this tool throughout, and the impact of the authenticity. There is a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (20:39) starts off with discussion of Billy Crystal as Mantle's friend and "Rain Man" on set, and then delves into the history, talking about Ford Frick, Fay Vincent, and the asterisk itself, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth plate appearances, Maris and Mantle's relationship with the press, Pascual or Ramos, the imbalanced AL/NL in 1961, Babe Ruth breaking Ned Williamson's record, Maris trade rumors, Mantle running to first in three seconds, Joe DiMaggio Jerk-o-meter, Moose Skowron, Elston Howard, Billy Martin escapades, Maris signing an X on a ball, Rogers Hornsby, Casey Stengel and Mantle, the slick nickname, Mantle's arm injury, Hoyt Wilhelm and Tom Candiotti. Storytelling (54:16) considers everything added by the inclusion of the McGwire framing device, the function of Claire Ruth and Pat Maris in the story, the opening day scene, and the handling of exposition. There are a few small instances of Shakespearing. The scouts discuss the nuanced depiction of male friendship, the character of the media, the character of Bob Cerv, and the cinematography and lighting. The Score Tool (1:24:53) discusses the main theme, the volume of the score, and songs by The Ventures, Bobby Darin, and the Shirelles. Why TF is there a Lyle Lovett song? Acting (1:31:20) pretty much worships Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Bruce McGill, Michael Nouri, Richard Masur, Peter Jacobson, Seymour Cassel, Chris Bauer, Anthony Michael Hall, Christopher McDonald and Joe Grifasi, plus the rest of the ensemble. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:51:17) considers 17% of Yogi Berra and not enough Elston Howard. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:52:44) revels in both the accuracy and the high delight of the depictions of Phil Rizzuto, with all of his Rizzuto catchphrases and digressions, and Mel Allen trying to reign him in. Ellen has a (Rizzuto-esque?) digression into a comparison with "Eight Men Out." In Lack of Misogyny (1:59:51), they discuss Mantle's womanizing, and how it's tempered with Maris's point of view, consideration of Pat's perspective, and the existence of female fans. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:04:31), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:07:28), Favorite Moment (2:08:09) Least Favorite Moment (2:11:04), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:12:52), Dreamiest Player (2:15:49), Favorite Performance (2:16:30), and Next Time (2:19:05).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s another Replay Review episode! Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde are joined by Ashley MacLennan, Darby Robinson and Brett Rutherford of “Who’s on Worst” to discuss one of the baseball movie genre’s worst offerings: “Ed.” That’s right. They watched it AGAIN. They intro the movie (1:24), and, after some spirited discussion, review the 20-80 scouting scale (21:53). Then, they receive the three other scouts’ grades on the following tools: Amount of Baseball (23:36), Baseball Accuracy (28:57), Storytelling (46:01), Score (1:16:27), Acting (1:23:14), Delightfulness of Catcher (1:30:31), Delightfulness of Announcer (1:35:37) and Lack of Misogyny (1:40:08). In “Who’s on Worst” fashion, everyone also picks the player they would want for their team (1:50:05) and shares some final thoughts (1:57:12). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

 Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2001 movie "Hardball," starring Keanu Reeves. They introduce the film (1:34), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (8:14). In Amount of Baseball (17:50), the scouts initially disagree, but slightly convince each other. Ellen has two potential player comps. Baseball Accuracy (25:26) compares this Little League play to other films, with just a couple of editorial / geographical issues. Ellen defends Frank Thomas's honor and digs in on Sammy Sosa's consecutive homers, and records by Ken Griffey Jr, Don Mattingly, and Kevin Mench. That is not Wrigley. Those are not NBA games. Luis Garcia's dance step is considered. Storytelling (39:23) is a real challenge, when the entire inveterate gambler storyline does not work. Plus, white savior problems, a very confusing moral, and a complete lack of necessary exposition. There are so many unanswered questions. How does he earn their trust? Why does G-Baby have to die? Eulogy issues, uniform issues. At long last, the Score Tool (1:24:13) is only a partial respite, with some small problems of its own. They consider some of the soundtrack songs, including "Ghetto," "Hardball," "Big Poppa," "Where the Party At," and R. Kelly. Acting (1:30:21) considers the ceiling and floor of a slightly mis-cast Keanu Reeves. Diane Lane was trying, John Hawkes had an impossible task, D.B. Sweeney deserves better. Young actors Michael B. Jordan, Bryan Hearne, Julian Griffith, and DeWayne Warren almost save the movie. Neither Delightfulness of Catcher (1:39:26) or Delightfulness of Announcer (1:40:27) offer much. In Lack of Misogyny (1:41:00), they discuss the insipidity of the lame romantic subplot. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:45:06), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:48:56), Favorite Moment (1:50:43) Least Favorite Moment (1:53:00), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:54:54), Dreamiest Player (1:56:50), Favorite Performance (1:57:09), and Next Time (2:00:32).  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde revisit the world of Major League with its direct-to-video second sequel, Major League: Back to the Minors!  2:09 – Intro; 7:47 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 15:36 – Amount of Baseball; 18:59 – Baseball Accuracy; 53:08 – Storytelling; 1:19:00 – Score; 1:24:01 – Acting; 1:31:40 – Delightfulness of Catcher; 1:33:37 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:38:51 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:42:19 – Yes or No; 1:46:18 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:47:21 – Favorite Moment; 1:48:26 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:51:25 – Scene You’d Like To See; 1:55:33 – Dreamiest Player; 1:55:56 – Favorite Performance; 1:58:22 – Next Time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.